Rejected in the ’40s, unity plan could be key to Mideast peace now

RE “ISRAELIS, Palestinians under one flag’’ (Op-ed, Feb. 29): The idea of Palestine as a united, democratic country with equal rights for all was advocated in the 1940s by a movement around Martin Buber, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jehuda Magnes, the president of that university; and others in the Jewish community.

Our movement presented its proposal to the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine in June 1947. Unfortunately, our proposed solution lacked adequate support among Jews and Arabs, and the United Nations decided in 1948 to divide Palestine into Israel and an Arab state.